Current Graduate Students

The Penn State Department of Geography is consistently ranked as one of the top departments of geography in the United States. In 1982, the National Research Council (NRC) ranked Penn State as the number-two department. In 1995, Penn State received the number one ranking from the NRC, and the rankings released in 2010 place Penn State Geography among the top geography departments in the country.

Penn State’s graduate program in Geography focuses on specialization and independent scholarship built upon a foundation of broad geographic knowledge and training. A wide selection of graduate seminars and advanced undergraduate courses provide Ph.D. and M.S. students with the base of knowledge and skills necessary to carry out their own research in conjunction with a faculty advisor and advisory committee.

Our Master of Geographic Information Systems degree program allows students across the globe access to the expert training of our faculty and staff through the World Wide Web. Students of all career paths and interests graduate from our programs well equipped to excel in their respective geographic fields.

Graduates from our program work as faculty members and administrators at top universities across the nation and around the world, hold important positions in federal, state, and local governments, and work in exciting careers in the business and not-for-profit sectors.